Wednesday Cheltenham Tips for Champion Chase Day
The Cheltenham Festival is well and truly underway and there is still so much to look forward to, if starting today with the feature race being the Queen Mother Champion Chase. This is where it gets interesting, and good performance in the betting ring today could set us up for the week. Here are my best bets for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival.
1:30 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase, Chicago Grey, Win 5/1 With Ladbrokes
Now, I am no fan of amateur rider races. Therefore personally I will not be having a bet in this race and instead will take the opportunity for a long lunch. However on the form book the Gordon Elliott trained Chicago Grey looks to be very well treated and in the context of this race has a half decent pilot aboard. If you wanted an interest in this race than Chicago Grey would be my pick but I stress that this is not a race I want to get involved in, amateur rider races are fraught with danger. You pay your money you take your chance, the choice is yours! No bet for me.
2:05 Neptune Novice Hurdle, Rock on Ruby, Win 15/2 with bet365
I definitely will be getting involved in this race, and strongly fancy the Paul Nicholls trained The Rock on Ruby who I think represents genuine value. Though beaten by Bobs Worth at Cheltenham last time, there was only a couple of lengths in it with Harry Skelton, aboard Rock On Ruby, dropping his whip, add to that he was riding against Barry Geraghty too. Ruby Walsh will be back in the saddle, all being well, which, no disrespect to young Skelton, is a big plus and as an each-way investment Rock on Ruby looks rock solid. Oscar’s Well is another favourite I will be taking on.
2:40 The RSA Chase, Time for Rupert, Win 5/2 with Paddy Power
The RSA Chase is usually a difficult puzzle to solve, not this year. I think Time For Rupert is nailed on here and is my banker bet, certainly of Wednesday if not for Big Buck’s on Thursday, the entire Cheltenham Festival. He bolted up over course and distance last time and it will be a huge win for both trainer and jockey, but this is a real class horse over fences who at 9/4 looks a real banker bet. There is nothing in the field to worry Time For Rupert if he reproduces that performance of last time out. My advice is to make time for Rupert your banker on biggest investment of the day.
3:20 The Queen Mother Champion Chase, Master Minded, Win 7/2 with Ladbrokes
Paul Nicholls recently told the press at his pre-festival open day that Master Minded was by far his best chance of a winner at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. I for one take that very seriously. The dual Champion Chase Winner was disappointing last year when seeking a hat-trick of wins in this event, but there were genuine excuses that day, remember horses are not machines, and since then he has done nothing wrong. Big Zeb, who comes here to defend his title was beaten last time out and I think is another favourite to take on. Master Minded clung on last time, under Tony McCoy, to fend off the late challenge of Somersby, who will have another crack at the eight-year-old here. I think Ruby Walsh makes a big difference to Master Minded and I think that we will see a better performance than we did last time and I think Master Minded will make it three wins in four years for the Paul Nicholls team. I will also be laying Big Zeb.
4:00 The Coral Cup, Aegean Dawn, Each Way 7/1 with Bet365
Festival handicaps are notoriously difficult, and this is no exception. However Nicky Henderson has a fantastic record when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival, no trainer with a licence in fact has more wins to his name than Henderson. In Aegean Dawn he has a very progressive and lightly raced horse showed his class when accounting for Mile Chief last time out. He was in receipt of bags of weight that day, and really was the proverbial handicap good thing that day. The handicapper has piled on the weight, but in my view he may still be well handicapped and pull off a bit of a touch for connections in the Coral Cup. I know that the Henderson team do fancy Aegean Dawn and certainly he looks a solid each way proposition to me.
4:40 The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, Plan A, Win 13/2 with William Hill
In many ways this is the hardest race, certainly of the day, potentially of the whole meeting. There is little form on which the handicapper has been able to draw and this really is a minefield. From what I have seen I am tentatively looking at the Willie Mullins trained, Plan A although with little conviction and I have little appetite in truth for this race. Remember there is no room that says you have to have a bet in a race and certainly I have no desire to lose money. From what I have seen I just think Plan A may have little up his sleeve and may be well treated, but it’s all ifs and maybes in this race, and therefore no bet for me!
5:15 The Champion Bumper, Ericht, Each Way 8/1 with Paddy Power
Last year Cue Card destroyed the field at and massive price, which is the danger in this race but part of what makes it fun! As a student of the form book I have to go with what I have seen so far and the Nicky Henderson trained Ericht looked and very decent type when landing a great to bumper at Newbury in February. The favourite has bags of promise but as yet that is unfulfilled and although it is entirely possible that something wins at a big price I think Ericht offers some value and is the one that I will be backing each way in this Champion Bumper to round off the day.
As always the best of luck and don’t forget to drop in tomorrow as I take a look at World Hurdle Day, with my best bet of the entire festival running on Thursday!
